Notebook computers traditionally comprise a clamshell design having a track pad located on the same surface as the keyboard. The clamshell design generally has two sections, the display unit and the keyboard unit, and four surfaces, the “A” surface opposite to the display, the “B” surface on which the display is visible, the “C” surface on which the keyboard and track pad are typically located, and the “ID” surface on which the device rests. The track pad is typically located on the “C” surface of the clamshell to provide mouse pointer control of the graphical user interface running on the notebook. In order to provide left and right, mouse button inputs and context menu control, the track pad itself may include mouse control buttons under selected areas of the track pad, or the mouse control buttons may be located adjacent to the track pad on the same surface.
Advents in touch input operating systems have resulted in touch screen devices or digitizer layers integrated with the notebook displays to allow the user to operate the device using touch commands. In order to allow users to operate the device in a tablet mode, notebook computers are being designed to operate in a tablet mode by allowing movement of the display unit of the clamshell to meet with the keyboard unit of the clamshell so that the display surface, the “B” surface, is visible and allows the user to easily touch the display to provide touch input control of the device. Such notebooks are referred to as convertible devices since they allow a notebook style clamshell computer to be easily converted into a tablet for tablet mode operation. However, in a tablet mode, the mouse control buttons are covered by the display unit and are not accessible, or they are located on the bottom of the tablet form factor and are consequently disabled. Thus, mouse control buttons currently are unusable in a convertible notebook that is operating in a tablet mode.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.